This new release by the former Genesis guitarist has my head spinning. At first listen, I was speechless. It was like hearing a mixture of early classic Genesis, and "then there were four" Genesis, early Steve Hackett, vintage Steve Hackett, Steve Hackett to bits and pieces, Hackett, the Beatles, a hint of Phil Collins (God help us all), and then there was (was not) three’ Genesis, Steve Hackett (the conductor), and, of course, the man who strikes his notes like no other, Steve Hackett the great guitarist. Okay, will the real Steve Hackett please stand up?
Now that you’re dazed and confused, have you ever seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Well, Brad and Janet, I would like to, if I may, take you on a strange journey. For the Hacketteers, listening to this album is like the "Best of Steve Hackett" that never came out. 
For the new listener, I would recommend you rent the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show first. You will enter an old strange house with many strange characters, including a blast from the past, keyboardist Nick Magnus. This strange journey starts off like a ten ton truck coming down the road! Don’t turn back! And of course, inside this truck you will find "Wild Orchids", some young, some old.
Now, on to the guitarist Steve Hackett. This guy uses his guitar like razor blade. His guitar work cuts like a knife (Not ‘The Knife’). This progressive master has delivered a brilliant CD that has so many different types of songs on it at first listen you would think this was a ‘hodge-podge’ of brilliant outtakes. Yet somehow, this diverse compilation actually fits like an old shoe. Hackett delivers great guitar work, excellent song writing, and a group of musicians that are not only masters themselves, but they really seem to be into this music.
The CD starts off with a song called ‘A Dark Night in Toytown’. Hackett lets his fans know right from the start he has not changed a bit. But as the CD progresses, you hear his 40 years of influence that did not seem to be so prominent on previous albums. When you get to track four, ‘Down Street’, Hackett lets you know he means business. His deep voice on this track, and throughout the album, add a dark, but pleasant, side to this masterpiece. With ‘Wild Orchids’, you get the classic progressive rock album, classical brilliance, and most importantly, Steve Hackett’s unique personality.
Be prepared to listen to a true master who has somehow figured out that all who listen to this will somehow end up with their underwear on backwards and asking for more!
www.SteveHackett.com
